The Short-Faced Hyena was 100cm wide at the shoulder, about a meter tall and could weigh up to 113 kg. It was the largest true hyena that existed and lived most abundantly around three million to fire hundred thousand years ago, between the Middle Pliocene and the Middle Pleistocene. They became extinct very shortly after the disappearance of Sabre tooth tiger and other Sabre toothed predators. This implies that their extinction was due to a shortage in partially consumed carcasses killed by Sabre tooths, which made up a large part of their diet.
Taxonomy:
Level
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Family
Hyaenidae
Genus
Pachycrocuta
Species
Brevirostris
Habitat
Map 1.Habitat of Short-faced Hyena in Eurasia
The short-faced hyena inhabited areas throughout Eurasia and both Africas (Southern and Eastern).Their oldest fossils were found in Asia and Africa, where they first appeared in the Middle Pilocene period, where the temperature was around 2-3°C higher than today.
They then spread across Europe and got as far as India and even Australia. During the Early-Middle Pleistocene, they were particularly widespread in Eurasia. This was when 30% of the Earth's surface was covered by ice. This meant that they could survive average climates of 0 to -6 degrees Celsius. Fossils were found in a series of underground caves in Asia, which suggests that the Eurasian short-faced hyenas lived in caves to shield themselves form the cold.
Much later, they migrated to North America and became the only species of true hyenas to do so, but went extinct more than ten thousand years ago.
The Guadix-Baza Basin of Spain, where Short-faced Hyena fossils were abundant.
Adaptations
Structural Adaptation One:
The short-faced Hyena was more heavyset than the modern spotted hyena, which shows that it was not nimble enough for chasing prey over long distances. Because it's limbs were shorter and thicker proportionally (modern Spotted hyenas have forelimbs that are about 23% longer) , they had a much lower speed capacity but had very powerful and strong bodies.
Their robust sizes were up to 20% bigger than the modern spotted hyena, which would aid them in consuming large hoofed quadrupeds(ungulates). This large size was likely developed to increase their odds of successfully scavenging meat, as their large build not only aided them in seeing further from a greater height when looking for dead bodies, but also helped them to scare away other predators from their prey. As well, their lower centres of gravity meant more stability and power for dismembering and carrying away pieces of animal carcasses.
Structural Adaptation Two:
In order to eat up more parts of animal carcasses and increase the speed of their dining, the short-faced Hyena developed had sharp teeth and stronger jaws that could produce force equivalent to 800 kg per square inch. Fossils with their teeth marks have proven that more than 70% of the obtained long bones and skulls of ungulates were bit open. This allowed them access to the fat and minerals inside the bone marrow.
There teeth had cusps with sharp edges built for slicing meat, similar to those of other animals dependent upon carrion. These helped them shred up scavenged large ungulates more easily.
Behavioural Adaptation One:
Because of the wide range of fossilized animals that were included in the short-faced hyena's diet and the fact that modern hyenas don't hunt animals of such great variety, it is assumed that the short-faced hyena was an active forager. Another piece of evidence given is the low percentage (11%) of fossils killed from being hunted within areas highly populated with short-faced hyenas.
Data indicates that in the Serengeti ecosystem, the short-faced hyena's diet consisted of 41.7% scavenged food and 58.3% of meat from prey that they killed themselves. In order to obtain enough meat to sustain their large bodies, scientists suggest that they preferred chasing away other carnivores from their prey instead of waiting for carcasses to be abandoned or seeking corpses of animals killed by other causes.
Behavioural Adaptation Two:
Fossils of the short-faced hyena's prey have been discovered in their dens. This suggests that to better secure their food, carcasses were often dismembered and carried back to a guarded den before being eaten. This would have prevented solitary or small groups of hyenas from losing their food to others. The den would have also made a good spot for storing leftover bones from which hyenas could extract marrow from later on.
Physiological Adaptation:
Owing to their large body sizes, it is assumed that they had slower heart rates to accommodate for the time needed for their blood to flow to their extremities. This would also mean that they had bigger, stronger hearts with enough energy to pump enough blood for the short-faced hyena to survive. It is possible that their need to travel long distances for food gave rise to this adaptation, as big hearts helped to boost their endurance so that they could lengthen searches for carcasses. This factor may have added to their success with scavenging.
Future Animal >>Modern Animal >>
Short-Faced Hyena
Pachycrocuta brevirostris
The Short-Faced Hyena was 100cm wide at the shoulder, about a meter tall and could weigh up to 113 kg. It was the largest true hyena that existed and lived most abundantly around three million to fire hundred thousand years ago, between the Middle Pliocene and the Middle Pleistocene. They became extinct very shortly after the disappearance of Sabre tooth tiger and other Sabre toothed predators. This implies that their extinction was due to a shortage in partially consumed carcasses killed by Sabre tooths, which made up a large part of their diet.
Taxonomy:
Habitat
They then spread across Europe and got as far as India and even Australia. During the Early-Middle Pleistocene, they were particularly widespread in Eurasia. This was when 30% of the Earth's surface was covered by ice. This meant that they could survive average climates of 0 to -6 degrees Celsius. Fossils were found in a series of underground caves in Asia, which suggests that the Eurasian short-faced hyenas lived in caves to shield themselves form the cold.
Much later, they migrated to North America and became the only species of true hyenas to do so, but went extinct more than ten thousand years ago.
Adaptations
Structural Adaptation One:
The short-faced Hyena was more heavyset than the modern spotted hyena, which shows that it was not nimble enough for chasing prey over long distances. Because it's limbs were shorter and thicker proportionally (modern Spotted hyenas have forelimbs that are about 23% longer) , they had a much lower speed capacity but had very powerful and strong bodies.
Their robust sizes were up to 20% bigger than the modern spotted hyena, which would aid them in consuming large hoofed quadrupeds(ungulates). This large size was likely developed to increase their odds of successfully scavenging meat, as their large build not only aided them in seeing further from a greater height when looking for dead bodies, but also helped them to scare away other predators from their prey. As well, their lower centres of gravity meant more stability and power for dismembering and carrying away pieces of animal carcasses.
Structural Adaptation Two:
In order to eat up more parts of animal carcasses and increase the speed of their dining, the short-faced Hyena developed had sharp teeth and stronger jaws that could produce force equivalent to 800 kg per square inch. Fossils with their teeth marks have proven that more than 70% of the obtained long bones and skulls of ungulates were bit open. This allowed them access to the fat and minerals inside the bone marrow.
There teeth had cusps with sharp edges built for slicing meat, similar to those of other animals dependent upon carrion. These helped them shred up scavenged large ungulates more easily.
Behavioural Adaptation One:
Because of the wide range of fossilized animals that were included in the short-faced hyena's diet and the fact that modern hyenas don't hunt animals of such great variety, it is assumed that the short-faced hyena was an active forager. Another piece of evidence given is the low percentage (11%) of fossils killed from being hunted within areas highly populated with short-faced hyenas.
Data indicates that in the Serengeti ecosystem, the short-faced hyena's diet consisted of 41.7% scavenged food and 58.3% of meat from prey that they killed themselves. In order to obtain enough meat to sustain their large bodies, scientists suggest that they preferred chasing away other carnivores from their prey instead of waiting for carcasses to be abandoned or seeking corpses of animals killed by other causes.
Behavioural Adaptation Two:
Fossils of the short-faced hyena's prey have been discovered in their dens. This suggests that to better secure their food, carcasses were often dismembered and carried back to a guarded den before being eaten. This would have prevented solitary or small groups of hyenas from losing their food to others. The den would have also made a good spot for storing leftover bones from which hyenas could extract marrow from later on.
Physiological Adaptation:
Owing to their large body sizes, it is assumed that they had slower heart rates to accommodate for the time needed for their blood to flow to their extremities. This would also mean that they had bigger, stronger hearts with enough energy to pump enough blood for the short-faced hyena to survive. It is possible that their need to travel long distances for food gave rise to this adaptation, as big hearts helped to boost their endurance so that they could lengthen searches for carcasses. This factor may have added to their success with scavenging.
Bibliography:
Auger , Paul, et al. "The large mammals of the Pleistocene Micena Sales ." N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jul 2010. <http://webpersonal.uma.es/~ppb/orce.html>.
"Pachycrocuta." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc, 8 July 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010. <http://webpersonal.uma.es/~ppb/orce.html>.
"Pachycrocuta brevirostris." //Global biodiversity Information Facility//. N.p., 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010. <http://data.gbif.org/species/16605465>.
Holekamp , Kay, et al. "Extinct Hyaena species." //Welcome to the IUCN Hyaena Specialist Group website//, 2010. Web. 29 Jul 2010. <http://www.hyaenidae.org/ancient-hyaenas.html>.